Question on male/female hatch ratio

[Cindiloohoo]

Ok I am raising some Delaware's. Out of the last hatch of 15 that are right now 3 and a half weeks old, it looks like I have 5 roos. Typically the male/female ratio is 50/50. It looks like my male/female ratio will be more like 35/65 if this continues. I have had a couple hatches from my own eggs and it seems I have more females than males every time. One hatch was even 100% female...but it was just one chick

Anyway, joking aside, could this just be the trend with my birds? Is it possible to have a tendency to hatch more females in any particular flock? I'm not complaining, just got me curious whether or not I'm just blessed, or if it's a fluke and the probability of having continuous hatches like this is slim to none. Anyone have a clue? Thanks in advance!!

 

[txchickie]

If it is, you are BLESSED!

My last broody hatched out 6 chicks for me......1 hen and 5 roos

 

[MuranoFarms]

I don't know the answer, but I would like to

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
OUCH!! That's pretty bad! I figured on 50/50 and was going to raise the boys for meat, but....may just wind up selling rather than fool with them since the ratio of girls seems higher anyway. When I cull for quality, I sell the excess birds and could do trios easily if this trend keeps up!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I really don't know. The way I understand it, the hen is the one with chickens that sets the sex, not the rooster. I've seen some members on here that think specific hens of theirs produce mostly male or mostly female offspring. SpeckledHen if I remember correctly. I know I ordered 6 straight run Buff Orps from Cackle and got 7 pullets, no roosters. Even the packing peanut was a female Buff Orp. It could have been human error, but the odds of getting 7 pullets out of 7 chicks either hatch or true straight run is 1 in 128 or 0.8%. It is all a matter of odds.

The shame is I would have been quite happy with two pullets and the rest roosters since I only was going to keep two and eat the rest.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Yeah I forgot that about SpeckledHen's birds...I think it's one hen she says has mostly females or all females... Maybe it's just Delaware's

All the more reason to love the breed...lol!

 

[speckledhen]

I was actually roo-heavy on my Delaware hatches. First hatch was 2 females and 6 males. Second hatch, the one that Isaac came from, was 9 males and 5 females. I haven't hatched many Delawares. In my own Barred Rock flock I've had for years, I know that Lexie's kids are mostly males and Ivy's, so far at least, have been all females. It is definitely the females who determine the sex of the chicks, but I haven't hatched and followed enough chicks from my own Del flock to determine which girls are pullet-producers and which are cockerel-producers.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
I think I have some girl making machines then if it's possible

Too bad so many Del roo's though. I wish i could keep them ALL!!!